Ben_G
Service Attendant
First time trying to write a trip report so hang with me.
Started out fine, CONO on time into CDL, station master a great guy to talk with. Get to Chicago Union station on time and have 5 hour layover till CZ leaves. Went to lounge with guest rewards pass in hand. Looking to store our carry on's for a while. The two ladys at the desk for some reason acted like they had never seen one before. Told me it was not good for Chicago only New York, I told the one I had handed it to to read the back where it says any lounge on the Amtrak system. Next out of her mouth was it is only good for one person and both of you need one. Again I told her to read the back where it says family or one guest. I will have to call my supervisor was her reply. She was on the phone for a minute and said her supervisor said the same thing that we needed two passes for the wife and myself. By that time I had had enough and ask if she could read. I am rather laid back but to be talked to like a child rather than a 65 year old was all I could take. In her best condescending tone she said..... I WILL LET YOU USE THIS PASS but only this time.....Round one to me and we put our carry on's in the storage room. Ask if we could board train from lounge and she said no....Storage room guy said just let him know and he would call us a redcap when the time came. Round two to me. We had to go out the front door to catch the buggy but best $10 spent so far. $5 tip to each and got delivered to the door of the coach ahead of the line, but got assigned seats and got the bad one with the curtan that blocked most of the window...so much for senic view. Headed west on time just a rocking and rolling along. About half way thru Illinois the door between the cars got stuck open on our car, Sitting near the front it got loud with air and rail noise. Several crew members waked thru but just ignored it. Our car attendant was MIA.....never seen him till halfway thru Iowa. Did catch a conductor after listening to the door noise for a couple hours and ask him to see if it could be fixed. He hit it a few times, open the cabnet and looked at the works and said yep broke....I am thinking this is not going to be good rideng across the country hearing this when the door started working on it's own again.
Car attendent still MIA but did see him come to door of our coach a few times then turn and go back. First time we did see him was when he gave out pillows just before dark and then vanished again.
Rather unevenfull night from then on....got a few naps in but knew ahead of time I wouldn't sleep sound at least the first full night out.
Arrived in Denver on time for stop...raining hard so just set in car and tried to catch a short nap while not moving. Leaving Denver had a slight problem with wife, being from the lowlands she didn't know and I didn't think of at the time the thin air once you get higher. She went down to the restroom just as we started up the front range. After about a half hour I went looking for her and found her on the little bench in one of the restrooms. Said she had no energy and could do good to stand. I got her in a empty seat in the lower level and sat with her for a while till she felt better and we went back to the upper level seats.
Seen the first snow near Winter Park....the tree's were starting to get covered but only a inch or so on the ground.
Thru the mountians we go......Wife says there is no doubt why the call that place the Rocky mountians. I took lots of photos of rocks out the window. The Colorado river was at low level but still had lot's of rapids that were cool. We seen the first rafters near Glenwood Springs, 5 rafts full of people headed downstream....DId I say still raining....heck they were going to get wet anyway so why not.
Again rather unevenfull other than a slow area where the track work was being done by the UP guys replaceing tie's. I think some may have been glad to see us come thru as it looked like some were on break while others stood and waved at the train.
To cut it shorter we rode and rode looking out the windows. 10 minutes out of Reno we came to a halt. Crew was good at keeping us up to date on what was going on with slowdowns and such. Stuck waiting for a freight headed east for a few minutes.
All of a sudden my cell phone rings.....it's my sister back here in Ky who is a guideance counceler at at elementary school. Seem she had told several students her brother was going across the country by train and they got excited....got a map of the USA out on the floor in her office and called to see where we were at the time.....Got told hello by a bunch of kid's that ask lot's of questions and then the train started moving again so we said goodbye.
Back was a little differant, train on time into Reno and were told to pick out any empty seats we wanted so we got one with a great window just ahead of the stairs on that side. Had a great guy named John as a car attendant. I talked with him a bit about the one we had on our way out and he said you don't have to be a star to work for Amtrak but he enjoys his job and it showed.
All went well till Chicago and another layover of 5 1/2 hours when we went back to the lounge with guest rewards day pass in hand. Gal didn't want to accept it but guy told her it was OK but still said it was only good for myself and one other person.....wrong but I let it go for the most part..just told him to read the back where it says all immedant family OR one non-family guest. Stuck our luggage in the storage room and went to the food court upstairs. Time for the train to leave so I ask gal in lounge to call us a redcap like before and she said no.....go to the gate 19 and talk with them....Gate person told me to get wife and come to front of LONG line waiting to board....we did and he took us to the door and we got on with assigned seats again..
5 1/2 hours later on time to CDL.....checked bag was missing....station master remembered me when I ask where we picked up checked bags....Come to find out our bag was still on train n baggage car but he held train till he went and checked and found it minus the wheels....I said missing wheels and off he went again holding train and found wheels where bag got broke while in transet.
Thats my trip report....link to album on photobucket if you care to check out 114 photo's
http://smg.photobuck.../v331/T-Duster/
Started out fine, CONO on time into CDL, station master a great guy to talk with. Get to Chicago Union station on time and have 5 hour layover till CZ leaves. Went to lounge with guest rewards pass in hand. Looking to store our carry on's for a while. The two ladys at the desk for some reason acted like they had never seen one before. Told me it was not good for Chicago only New York, I told the one I had handed it to to read the back where it says any lounge on the Amtrak system. Next out of her mouth was it is only good for one person and both of you need one. Again I told her to read the back where it says family or one guest. I will have to call my supervisor was her reply. She was on the phone for a minute and said her supervisor said the same thing that we needed two passes for the wife and myself. By that time I had had enough and ask if she could read. I am rather laid back but to be talked to like a child rather than a 65 year old was all I could take. In her best condescending tone she said..... I WILL LET YOU USE THIS PASS but only this time.....Round one to me and we put our carry on's in the storage room. Ask if we could board train from lounge and she said no....Storage room guy said just let him know and he would call us a redcap when the time came. Round two to me. We had to go out the front door to catch the buggy but best $10 spent so far. $5 tip to each and got delivered to the door of the coach ahead of the line, but got assigned seats and got the bad one with the curtan that blocked most of the window...so much for senic view. Headed west on time just a rocking and rolling along. About half way thru Illinois the door between the cars got stuck open on our car, Sitting near the front it got loud with air and rail noise. Several crew members waked thru but just ignored it. Our car attendant was MIA.....never seen him till halfway thru Iowa. Did catch a conductor after listening to the door noise for a couple hours and ask him to see if it could be fixed. He hit it a few times, open the cabnet and looked at the works and said yep broke....I am thinking this is not going to be good rideng across the country hearing this when the door started working on it's own again.
Car attendent still MIA but did see him come to door of our coach a few times then turn and go back. First time we did see him was when he gave out pillows just before dark and then vanished again.
Rather unevenfull night from then on....got a few naps in but knew ahead of time I wouldn't sleep sound at least the first full night out.
Arrived in Denver on time for stop...raining hard so just set in car and tried to catch a short nap while not moving. Leaving Denver had a slight problem with wife, being from the lowlands she didn't know and I didn't think of at the time the thin air once you get higher. She went down to the restroom just as we started up the front range. After about a half hour I went looking for her and found her on the little bench in one of the restrooms. Said she had no energy and could do good to stand. I got her in a empty seat in the lower level and sat with her for a while till she felt better and we went back to the upper level seats.
Seen the first snow near Winter Park....the tree's were starting to get covered but only a inch or so on the ground.
Thru the mountians we go......Wife says there is no doubt why the call that place the Rocky mountians. I took lots of photos of rocks out the window. The Colorado river was at low level but still had lot's of rapids that were cool. We seen the first rafters near Glenwood Springs, 5 rafts full of people headed downstream....DId I say still raining....heck they were going to get wet anyway so why not.
Again rather unevenfull other than a slow area where the track work was being done by the UP guys replaceing tie's. I think some may have been glad to see us come thru as it looked like some were on break while others stood and waved at the train.
To cut it shorter we rode and rode looking out the windows. 10 minutes out of Reno we came to a halt. Crew was good at keeping us up to date on what was going on with slowdowns and such. Stuck waiting for a freight headed east for a few minutes.
All of a sudden my cell phone rings.....it's my sister back here in Ky who is a guideance counceler at at elementary school. Seem she had told several students her brother was going across the country by train and they got excited....got a map of the USA out on the floor in her office and called to see where we were at the time.....Got told hello by a bunch of kid's that ask lot's of questions and then the train started moving again so we said goodbye.
Back was a little differant, train on time into Reno and were told to pick out any empty seats we wanted so we got one with a great window just ahead of the stairs on that side. Had a great guy named John as a car attendant. I talked with him a bit about the one we had on our way out and he said you don't have to be a star to work for Amtrak but he enjoys his job and it showed.
All went well till Chicago and another layover of 5 1/2 hours when we went back to the lounge with guest rewards day pass in hand. Gal didn't want to accept it but guy told her it was OK but still said it was only good for myself and one other person.....wrong but I let it go for the most part..just told him to read the back where it says all immedant family OR one non-family guest. Stuck our luggage in the storage room and went to the food court upstairs. Time for the train to leave so I ask gal in lounge to call us a redcap like before and she said no.....go to the gate 19 and talk with them....Gate person told me to get wife and come to front of LONG line waiting to board....we did and he took us to the door and we got on with assigned seats again..
5 1/2 hours later on time to CDL.....checked bag was missing....station master remembered me when I ask where we picked up checked bags....Come to find out our bag was still on train n baggage car but he held train till he went and checked and found it minus the wheels....I said missing wheels and off he went again holding train and found wheels where bag got broke while in transet.
Thats my trip report....link to album on photobucket if you care to check out 114 photo's
http://smg.photobuck.../v331/T-Duster/
Last edited by a moderator:
